Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

I mean, really? What can you say about a videogame that truly transcends its medium?

Eternal Darkness is a masterpiece of storytelling. The best way to describe it is as an interactive novel. I personally don't have the time or the interest to play videogames right through until the end normally, but this one... BOY. I was hooked. I didn't stop playing until I finished the baby.

There were great moments, like there are with any piece of cinema, when the use of music, dialogue and story subversion created moments so exhilarating and original, that it suddenly becomes incredibly sad that it isn't going to reach the wide audience that it so deserves.

Go. And buy it now.

Positives:

• Atmosphere
• The Sanity system
• Story
• Characters
• Voice acting
• Gameplay

Negatives:

• Not much

I do love my Mega Man, believe me, but this title is SO, SO, SO MUCH BETTER than any Mega Man game ever released. When someone says "survival-horror," you probably think of the Resident Evil series. Can I tell you something? If I compared survival-horror games to, say, automobiles, ED makes any other survival-horror game look like a Ford Pinto right after the bumper was smashed in.

The story opens with young Alex Roivas receiving a call to identify her grandfather's body-- he recently experienced a mysterious death that left him as nothing more than a pile of bloody flesh. Alex vows to search the old mansion for clues, and in doing so, uncovers a dark family secret: a huge book in her grandfather's study attracts Alex's attention, and it is through this book, the Tome of Eternal Darkness, that the story unfolds.

Your avatar changes as you complete each chapter of the Tome. All the characters come together to tell of the Tome's historical accounts, and the purpose behind the book itself.

Though the concept of basing a game around a book instead of its characters is certainly unique, it's not ED's strongest selling point. That would be your Sanity Meter--a glowing, green vial that tracks how kooky your character's mind becomes after you are attacked. When your sanity begins to fade, the game will do things to mess with your mind: tilt the camera, make you see dripping blood from the walls, and make you appear upside-down in a room--and those are some of the milder effects. The stronger, more brain-tickling pranks will genuinely make you angry, frustrated, frightened, or confused: the TV will appear to suddenly shut off, or your character will spontaneously split apart, for example. ED is survival-horror done right: you're dropped into monster-ridden territory with limited weapons, a magickal book, and only your wits to guide you. It's not anywhere near as difficult as Resident Evil, and the fact that you play through different periods of history with an alternate-universe twist gives ED a lot more credit in my book.

With copious amounts of blood, gore, death, references to the occult, and plenty of creepy- crawlies and scary moments, this is very much a grown-up's game--but MAN, what a great game it is! For all those momentarily fed up with kiddie games on the 'Cube, snatch this treasure up from the video game store's bargain bin and put some hours into it--you won't be disappointed.

When Final Fantasy VII made it's debut on the Play Station, video gamers everywhere realised that video games had then become a new medium for telling stories. Just as novels could never be translated properly into movies, so to the narrative of a video game remains distinctive and offers a story that can be told with originality and style. So Nintendo takes its first steps into a new genre with Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. Telling a two thousand year long story with second party developer Silicon Knights at the helm, famous for the Blood Omen series.

The story starts with an enigmatic monologue by the narrator Edward Roivas, and then we are thrust into the shoes of his grand daughter Alex. After a dream sequence where she is chased by zombies, she awakens to a phone call from an Inspector Legrasse from the Rhode Island Police who tells her there's been an "Accident with her grandfather."

A quick flight later, and Alex deals with the sight of her grandfathers mangled body, as well as an inept police force. Frustrated by the police, she takes it on herself to find the culprit and so unfolds, what is in my opinion, one of the best told stories in a video game, and for any other medium for that matter.

Dark magic, darker characters, and the now famous 'sanity meter' forge this delightful foray into the horror genre. The game is classified as a "survival horror", but this is a poor way to describe the game. More of a psychological thriller, the game isn't scared to try to mess with the players head, and mostly succeeds.

Borrowing from classic horror stories, we see numerous references to the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. Even the character Inspector Legrasse is named after the Police Inspector from The Call of Cthulhu, so it's no surprise that the game is brimming with eldritch terrors and ancient beings vying for the future of the planet.

The sanity meter itself is an ingenious device, sitting alongside the health and magic meters. When an enemy locks eyes with you, the meter drains. This varies between enemies. The lower the meter is, the more insane the character is. This causes a wide range of hallucinations, from a dismembered head reciting Shakespeare, to a message stating the control is unplugged when monsters are swamping you. This latter effect is one of the games most magnificent features, playing with the player's head.

GAMEPLAY- The game play mechanics are simple and solid. The stick is used to move around, A is to attack and B is for everything else. You can unleash a small combo using the A button repeatedly, or select body parts to hack at with a simple targeting system, though the selected limbs flash obtrusively. A major annoyance is that using horizontal attacks is useless in small areas, which the game is filled with, as the swords will always clash with the wall. Eventually you'll learn to aim at the heads of all enemies, this brings the blade down vertically and it's the weak spot of most of the enemies anyway. After you learn the magic spells though, you can assign spells to four 'quick spell' buttons, so you don't have to dig into your magic book for the spell you want over and over again.

GRAPHICS- When first playing, the graphics seem rather outdated. This isn't too surprising as the game was in production for a long time and was originally slated for a Nintendo 64 release. The models are clunky and the textures seem overly pixelated. But as the character is drawn more and more into the world, so too is the gamer. The larger rooms are impressively awe-inspiring as well as the imaginative sets. But the lighting effects are what make this game visually stunning. The spell casts are always a pleasure to watch. The camera angles are excellent, stylistically giving us a full view of what is going on, and never becoming obtrusive.

SOUND- The sound effects and music are top notch. Eternal Darkness has Dolby Surround capabilities, which really show off the extra touches. Echoing footsteps, insane whispers coming from behind you, and creepy music that reverberates throughout the house. It's horror as best as it comes.

An excellent and well-crafted game, with one of the finest stories ever told. This is the kind of game that game makers should inspire to make.

Eternal Darkness had an unusually long period of development. Work on it began in 1998 as a game for Nintendo's Nintendo 64 system, but when the game's developer, Silicon Knights, was made a full subsidiary of Nintendo, the development was switched to the then still in development Gamecube hardware. Although many games that spend four years in development have a lot left to be desired, Eternal Darkness overcomes that barrier, delivering an experience that no other game has ever produced.

Although the game features an intricate storyline, a diverse cast of characters and an excellent system of play, what sets Eternal Darkness apart from all other games before it is the Sanity Meter. As characters are spotted by enemies, the meter gradually empties. Although it can be refilled, when the meter is no longer full, the game begins to play tricks, not only on the character that is going insane, but also on the player. A diverse range of insanity effects keeps players on their toes, not knowing when an effect will occur or what it will be.

While the Sanity Meter is a major part of Eternal Darkness, it wouldn't be enough to sustain a game by itself. However, Silicon Knights has put together one of the best gaming experiences in recent memory. Very little about the game can be considered truly flawed. Even the graphics, which show hints of its days as a Nintendo 64 title, have a certain charm to them, the faults overcome by the overall presentation of the game.

The plot is very intricate and incredibly thought out for a video game. Rather than play existential as Metal Gear Solid 2 ended, everything weaves together to form a coherent knot. The voice acting is top notch and only adds to what is a truly incredible experience. Eternal Darkness is sure to be recognized as a classic and destined to be followed by many inferior imitators.